Should Biden have dropped out of the 2024 race? What Americans said in new poll

A majority of Americans approve of President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek re-election, according to new polling.

In the latest Quinnipiac University poll, 62% of respondents said Biden did the right thing by dropping out of the presidential race, while 27% said he did the wrong thing.

The poll, conducted between July 19 and July 21, sampled 1,376 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points.

It comes just days after Biden announced he would withdraw from the race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” Biden wrote in a July 21 post on X. “And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”

The historic decision capped off a monthslong lobbying campaign from Democratic lawmakers who expressed concerns about his fitness for office and ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in November.

What the poll found

Majorities of respondents across almost every demographic group said Biden was right to bow out of the race, with Republican, white and younger respondents being most in favor of his decision, the poll found.

Sixty-seven percent of Republican respondents said Biden made the right choice, while 23% said it was wrong and 10% were unsure. Similarly, 64% of independents said he did the right thing, while 25% said it was wrong and 10% were unsure.

Democratic respondents were slightly less approving of his decision, with 54% saying he made the right choice and 33% saying he made the wrong choice. Twelve percent were undecided.

Sixty-four percent of white respondents agreed with Biden’s withdrawal from the race, while 23% disagreed and 12% were unsure. Hispanic respondents broke along similar lines, with 63% in favor, 28% opposed and 9% unsure.

Black respondents, on the other hand, were the only demographic that did not have a majority in favor of the president’s decision. Forty-eight percent said Biden did the right thing, while 43% said he did the wrong thing, and 9% were unsure.

Additionally, the demographic most in favor of Biden’s withdrawal from the race was young adults.

Seventy percent of respondents between 18 and 34 years old said he did the right thing, while 18% said he did the wrong thing, and 13% were unsure. Similarly, 70% of respondents between 34 and 49 years old said Biden made the right call, and 21% said it was the wrong call. Nine percent were undecided.

Meanwhile, 56% of respondents between 50 and 64 years old were in favor of Biden’s withdrawal, while 35% were opposed and 9% were unsure. The same amount, 56%, of respondents 65 and older said Biden did the right thing, while 30% said it was the wrong move. Fourteen percent were unsure.

This story was originally published July 23, 2024 at 10:17 AM with the headline "Should Biden have dropped out of the 2024 race? What Americans said in new poll."